Street-indicator.



H. W.:VERNS'ON & H. F. LUTZ.

STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. 1915.

Patented Feb. 8,1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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A TTOR/VEYS THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 0).. WASHINGTON, D. c.

H. W. VERNSON & H. F. LUTZ. I

STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION man FEB. 20. 91s. 7

1,171,284; Piatented Feb. 8,1916.

$ 5 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I I i uwEn/roRs Harry W \lernson Hobari ELufz A TTORNEYS THE COLUMBlA PLANIJGRAPH 10., WASHINGTON, D. C. 7

H. W. VERNSON & H. F. LUTZ,

STREET INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1915.

1,171,284. Patented Feb. 8,1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3. 6% 5 w T/VESSES 4 INI/EIVTORS HarrgWVernson V v y H oba rf 5 Lu TZ I BY M ATTORNEYS THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH .00., WASHINGTON, D; C.

H. W. VERNSON & H. F. LUTZ.

STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1915.

1,171,284. Patented Feb. 8,1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

, l/VVE/VTORS Harry W Vernson' Hobart E Luiz ATTORNEYS THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 20., WASHINGTON. D. c.

. H. W. VERNSON & H. F. LUTZ.

STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION man FEB. 20, ms.

1, 171 ,284. Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

6 $HEETS-3HEET 6.

WITNESSES IIVI/ENTORS fix 1 HarrgWVernson {WWW v HobarfELlfiz W A TTOH/VEYS THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASH INGTON, D. c.

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HARRY WALTER VERNSON, or BLUE Barres, AND HOBART FRED LUTZ, or

' LAWRENCE, KANSAS.

STREET-'INDIGATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb.8,1916.

Application filed February 20, 1915. Serial No. 9,556.

' United States, and residing, respectively, at

Blue Rapids, in the county of Marshall and State of Kansas, and at Lawrence, in the county of Douglas and State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Street-- Indicator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to a means to be employed in connection with electric trolley systems to display in the street cars thereof the names of the streets in proper order.

In our invention a card holder is provided having separatecards bearing the names of the different streets. The cards are supported to drop by gravity to a position to bring the street name thereon into view. The cards are sustained by movable supports adapted to be actuated by electromagnets to release the cards, and co-acting selective devices are providedon the trolley and along the conductor to energize the magnets for controlling the respective card supports. The cards are restored to their original positions, by lifting means which in the preferred form comprises an air cylinder and piston. To actuate the piston for lifting the cards, air is admitted to the air cylinder from the air brake system of the car, the admission and exhaust of the air being controlled by valve means and the valve means in turn being under the control of electromagnets automatically energized at the proper time. The invention thus outline will be more particularly explained in the specific description following.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming partof this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section on the line 1-1 Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a longitudi nal vertical section on the line 2-2 Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a plan view with parts in section on the line 3-3, Fig. 2'; Fig. 4: is a sectional plan view on the line H Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the several card sustaining bars; Fig. 6 is a detail cross-section showing the trolley and conductor together with selective devices for energizing the magnets; Fig. 7 is a sectional side elevation of the devices shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing a plan of streets together with the trolley and conductor and ndicating the selective devices; and Fig. 9 1s a diagrammatic view given to show the circults.

In constructing a practical embodiment of our lnvention in accordance with the illustrated example, a box 10 is provided, preferably rectangular, adapted to be suitably positioned in a car, as for instance, above the door or near the ce ling at one end of the car. The box 10 is adapted to contain a series of cards 11 bearing the'street names, as for instance, Fourteenth street, indicated by the numeral 12 in Fig. 1. The cards have vertical sliding movement in the box 10 and may be provided with'side flanges 13 extending laterally through vertical slots 15 in inner guide walls l l'on the box 10. The cards 11 are adapted to descend by gravity from. the full line position shown in Fig. 1 to that indicated by dotted lines to display the name of the street. To sustain the cards in the raised position a series of slide bars are provided, there being in the present example five of these shown numbered respectively 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20. The slide bars 16 to 20 are sustained at the upper ends of front and back walls 10 10 of the box 10 and have longitudinal movement in slots 10? in said walls. Each card-holding slide, as

best seen in Fig. 5, is provided with a series of depending hooks 21, the bills of the hooks being adapted to be received in horizontal slots 22 in the cards 11 near the upper edges of the latter (see Fig. 1).

Referring particularly to Figs. 3, 6, 7 and 9, a series of electromagnets 23 are pro yided adjacent to one end of the card-hold lng slides 16 to 20, the latter terminating each in an armature 24: under the influence of a particular magnet.

The circuit wires leading to the magnets are indicated by the numerals 25 to 29. The card-holding slides are retracted by retractile' springs 30 after having been moved by a magnet and the latter deenergized. The wires 25 to 29 are assembled as indicated at 31 and have electrical connection with contacts designated generally .by the numeral 32, said contacts being carried by the trolley'33 having the usual trolley Wheel 33 Coacting with the contacts 32 overhead or roadside selective contact trips 34 are arranged along the car route in electrical connection with the conductor 36 of the trolley system. In the example shown the said selective contacts 34 are hung on and depend from a transverse wire or rod 35 suitably supported as by hangers 37 from the cross wires 36 supporting the conductor 36.

The detail construction of the contacts 32 is shown best in Fig. 7 and comprises a fixed contact member 39, and associated therewith is a bell crank member 40 pivoted to the element 39 as at 41. One arm 42 of the bell crank lever extends upwardly to a position to engage and be depressed by a depending contact member 34 to rock said bell crank. The other arm 44 of the bell crank carries a spring contact 45 adapted to more into frictional engagement with the corresponding contact device 46 on the fixed member 39. By the described construction it will be seen that the depending contact trip 34 will rock the bell crank lever and the current may pass from the conductor 36 through the trolley wheel 33 housing 38, bell crank 40 and the contact members 45, 46, to the wire leading to the magnet 23, it being understood that the spring contact 46 is insulated from the element 39. In order to raise the.

bell crank 40 for breaking the circuit, the arm 44 of the bell crank has an arm 47 hung thereon to carry a plunger 48 operating in an air cylinder 49. Beneath the plunger 48 is a compression spring 50 to raise the plunger. An air pipe 51 extends laterally from the cylinder 49 below the plunger 48 and has a valve 52 operating beneath a cage 53. The plunger and cylinder constitute an air check to retard the upward movement of the plunger 48, the valve 52 being of any well known arrangement for this purpose whereby to permit a free exhaust of air in response to a downward movement of the plunger 48 and cause a restricted'air inlet upon an upward movement of the plunger.

Since one or more of the slide bars 16 to 20 may be actuated to drop a particular card, various other cards will drop, but in the rear of the one to be displayed. In any event, it becomes necessary to provide a lifting means that will retard the positions of any or all cards that have been released. For the stated purpose a lifting frame is provided, designated generally by the numeral 54, which has lifting bars 55 carried by the lower ends of depending side bars 56, said bars 55 operating in vertical slots 10 in the box 10 below the lower ends of the guide flanges 13 of the cards 11. To raise the lift frame 54 we prefer to utilize air pressure from the brake system with which street cars are now generally equipped. Thus a piston rod 57 carries at its lower end a plunger 58 operating in a vertical air cylinder 59 suitablysupported on the box 10. Connection be tween the piston rod 57 and the lift frame 54 may be established by any suitable means. As here shown, upper and lower cross-bars 60 on the piston rod at the upper end are se cured by bolts 61 to bars 62 which extend downwardly and are suitably secured as by bolts 62 to the frame 54 so that an upward movement of the piston rod 57 will raise the frame 54 through the elements 60, 62. An air inlet pipe 63 leading to the cylinder 59 beneath the piston 58 is adapted to be supplied with air from a pipe 64 connected in practice with the air brake system (not shown). The passage of air from the pipe 64 to the inlet pipe 63 is through a chamber 65 in which is a valve 66 controlling the entrance to the air pipe 63 from said chamber. The valve 66 is in fixed relation to an armature 67 of an electromagnet 68 which may be mounted on the top of the chamber 65. Springs 69 on guide pins 69 may be employed normally tending to depress the armature 67 to restore the valve 66- to the closed position. To permit the air to exhaust from beneath the piston 58 when the lift frame 54 is to be lowered, as hereinafter described, an exhaust pipe 70 leads from the inlet 63 adjacent to the cylinder 69 and is fitted with an exhaust valve 71, the valve rod 72 of which extends upwardly. On one of the bars 60, or other element in rigid rela tion to the piston rod 57 or lift frame 54, is an arm 73 having a sleeve 73 embracing the valve rod 72 and adapted to contact with the head 74, at the upper end of said rod, when the lift frame has risen sufficiently high to restore the cards 11, whereby the weight of the lift frame 54 and its appurtenances will serve to depress the piston, the air beneath the piston exhausting through the pipe 70.

In order to energize the magnet 68 con trolling the valve 66 of the air inlet pipe, a contact 32 in all respects like the contact 32 previously described is provided on an arm 38 of housing 38 to be struck by a contact trip 34 similar to the elements 34. Referring particularly to Figs. 3, 6 and 9, especially the latter, the contact 34 is supported on a transverse rod or wire 35 similar to wire or rod 35. Thus with the circuit closed through the contact 32 a circuit will be established through 38 and 32 through a wire 75 (Fig. 9) through a magnet 76, a wire 7 6 and to the ground through the wires 77, 77 there being a rheostat 78 through which the current is conducted to the ground wire. By the energizing of the magnet 76 the armature 79 thereof is brought into electrical connection at 80 with a wire 81 leading from the conductor 36. Thus a circuit is established from the conductor 36 to the wire 81, contact 80, armature 79 and the wire 7 9 to the magnet 68 controlling the air valve 66, the current passing from the said magnet 68, wire 68, wire 77 and rheostat 78 to the ground. In order to retain the armature 79 in electrical connection with the wire 81 at the contact 80, an electrically controlled latch device is provided, as follows: A branch Wire 82 leads from the wire 81 in advance of the contact 80 through an electromagnet 83 and conductor wire 84 through the wire 77 and to the ground. The wire 84, in the circuit of which the magnet 83 is included, is normally broken, there being separated spring contacts 85 at the terminals. Referring to Fig. 9, when the armature 79 is drawn forward into electrical contact with the element 80, the armature 86 of the magnet 83 is free to drop. The second-magnet 83 is at this time in an open circuit. On said armature 86 is a spring catch 87 disposed in the direction of the armature 7 9 and a similar spring is provided on the armature of the magnet 76. A forward movement of the armature 79 will permit the catch 87 to drop behind the catch 88, thereby holding the armature 79 against the contact point 80, and therefore the current may flow through the magnet 68 to hold the valve 66 open until the circuit is closed through the contact elements 85 to energize the magnets 83. This is effected when the lift frame 54 has reached its proper height. Referring to Fig. 2 itwill be seen that the contacts 85 are in vertical alinement with the set screw 89 of an arm 90 projecting from the lift frame 54, the set screw being adapted to flex the lower contact element 85 against the upper contact element to close the circuit having the magent 83 and energizing the latter. The armatures 79 and 86 are resilient and tend to normally move away from their respective magnets. The result of the described arrangement is that after the mag net 76 has attracted its armature 79 to close the circuit through the contact 80, the latches 87, 88, will maintain the said circuit closed until the circuit is closed through the con tacts 85 by engagement with the screw 89, whereby the armature 86 will be attracted by its magnet 83 to release the armature 79 and permit the resiliency of the latter to break the circuit at the contact 80, thus deenergizing the magnet 68 to permit the air valve 66 to close and cut ofi the air supply to the cylinder 59. The closing of the circuit at the contacts 85 is but temporary, and the circuit will be broken by the initial dropping of the lifting frame 54. The exhaust valve having been opened by the trip sleeve 7 3 engaging the head 74 of the valve stem 72, the air may exhaust from the cylinder 59 to permit the frame 54 to drop.

It is to be understood that in the devices given as one example, the valve stem 72 fits with sufiicient friction in the valve casing 71 that the said stem will remain raised until again tripped when the frame 54 has descended near the lowest position. To

lower the valve stem 72, it may have a collar 74 thereon to be struck by the sleeve 73 when the latter descends.

In the street diagram Fig. 8, indicating Thirteenth street and Fourteenth street, as two of the streets in the plan shown in Fig. 4 and indicating indotted lines a trolley A, which carries contacts 32, 3%, shown in full lines, it will be seen that the trip contacts 34 at Thirteenth street are arranged at the left of the conductor, for a car traveling in direction of the arrow shown in full lines to energize the magnets 23 controlling the cardholding slide bars 19, 20, which sustain the card 11 for Fourteenth street. Incidentally, cards for Fourth and Fifth streets will be released, but-they will be in the rear of'the card for Fourteenth street, and not visible. Similarly, at the far side of Fourteenth street the trips 34 at the left of the conductor are arranged to energize the magnets for releasing thecard. for Fifteenth street. At

all streets, preferably adjacent to the near side of the street, there will be trips 34, shown at the'right of the conductor, to engage the contact 32 for lifting the cardsat every street. The relative dispositions of the car contacts and the overhead trips may be made to provide for a return trip on the same track. Trips 34, 34" are shown in Fig. 8 at both sides of the conductor so that the cards will be released and raised whether the car runs in the direction of the full line arrow or the dotted line arrow. For the car running in the direction of the dotted line arrow the innermost trip 34 is positioned outward from the path of travel of the trip 32 on the car.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the character 10 indicates a retaining plate to prevent upward displacement of the card-holding slides 16 to 20.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an indicator for electric trolley systems, a series of separate cards bearing in dicating matter for different stations along a car route, and adapted to gravitate from a non-indicating to an indicating position, a series ofmovable elements to sustain the cards on a car normally in non-indicating positions, means to actuate the said cardsustaining elements, said means including elements on the car, and co-acting selective elements stationed along the car route and corresponding with individual cards, lifting means to restore the cards to non-indicating positions, actuating means for said lifting means, said last mentioned actuating means comprising electrically controlled co-acting devices on the car and along the car route, and means controlled by the upward movement of the lifting means to throw the last mentioned actuating means out of action and to permit the lifting means to drop after raising the cards.

2. In an indicator for electric trolley systems, a series of separate cards bearing indicating matter for different stations along a route, and adapted to gravitate from nonindicating to indicating positions, a series of movable sustaining elements arranged to hold said cards on a car in non-indicating positions, means to actuate the sustaining element of a particular card to permit said cards to assume an indicating position, a lifting device to restore the cards to nonindicating positions, fluid operated actuating means for the lifting device, and electrically actuated controlling means for said fluid operated means, said controlling means including a valve in the fluid operating means to control the supply of motive fluid thereto, an electromagnet to open said valve, a second electromagnet, automatic means including co-acting elements on the trolley and along the car route to energize the second magnet and bring the first magnet and the armature of the second magnet in electric circuit with the trolley conductor, a

third magnet having an armature forming a catch for the first mentioned armature, and means to temporarily bring the third magnet into electric circuit with the conductor by the upward movement of the lifting device.

3. In an indicator for electric trolley systems, a series of separate cards bearing indicating matter for different stations along a car route, and adapted to gravitate from a non-indicating to an indicating position, a series of movable elements to sustain the cards on a car normally in non-indicating positions, means to actuate the said cardsustaining elements, said means including elements on the car, and co-acting selective elements stationed along the car route and corresponding with individual cards, a lift frame having bars thereon, the cards having members disposed above said bars adapted to be engaged by the latter when the cards drop, means to raise said lift frame, and co-acting means on the car and along the route to control said lift frame and cause the same to have a lifting movement after an operation of any of the. co-acting selective devices.

4. In an indicator of the character described, a series of separate indicating cards, adapted to gravitate from non-indicating to indicating position, a series of slides each having members thereon variously positioned to' correspond with and engage a plurality of cards to sustain the latter in raised, non-indicating positions, actuating means to separately move the slides out of engagement with their respective cards, and selective devices along the car route controlling the said actuating means.

5. In an indicator of the character de scribed, a series of separate indicating cards, adapted to gravitate from non-indicating to indicating position, a series of slides each having members thereon variously positioned to correspond with and engage a plurality of cards to sustain the latter in raised, non-indicating positions, actuating means to separately move the slides out of engagement with their respective cards, and selective devices along the car route controlling the said actuating means; together with a lift frame common to all the cards to lift the same from indicating to nonindicating positions, operating means for the lift frame, and means adjacent to the several selective devices along the route to cause said operating means to function after an operation of each selective device.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY WALTER VERNSON.

Witnesses:

LUCY B. TIBBETTS, CARROLL D. SMITH.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOBART FRED LUTZ.

Witnesses:

J. F. LUTZ, PERRY B. BARBER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

